December 12, 2008 No. 44/08-BD RAINFOREST CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT RECEIVES CDB FINANCING The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) will provide a grant equivalent to USD149,940 to the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development which is situated in Guyana. The funding is to help the centre improve its revenue-generating capacity through Tourism and training of business enterprises. The revenue generated will be used to finance research and development on the sustainable management of tropical forests and their natural assets. The results of the research conducted by the centre will be public goods for use by CDB's borrowing member countries and the wider global community. Iwokrama Forest is situated within one of the world's oldest geographic regions, and is one of only four intact rainforest environments left on earth. The centre was established in 1995 by agreement between the Government of Guyana and the Commonwealth Secretariat.